Manu Joseph & George Makana Clark up for Newton First Book Award, both to appear at Edinburgh Book Festival

Manu Joseph and George Makana Clark are both appearing at the Edinburgh Book Festival this year, and their debut novels - Manu's SERIOUS MEN and George's THE RAW MAN - are both up for the Newton First Book Award, for which readers can vote here.

Manu Joseph's event at the Edinburgh Festival will take place on Thursday 25 August (7-8:15pm). Please click here for more information on the event and here for more information about the author.

George Makana Clark's event at the Edinburgh Festival will take place on Monday 15 August (3.30-4.30pm) and he will also be reading at the Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers series right afterwards. Please click here for more information on the event and here for more information about the author.

PRAISE for Manu Joseph

'One of the strongest debuts of 2010, this bittersweet Mumbai tale of high minds and low plots [is] more Lucky Jim than White Tiger…. Touching, hilarious, this collision between the Mumbai of stars and of mud rediscovers a deep Indian vein of humane and sophisticated comedy.' -- Independent

'Manu Joseph shows how petty jealousies in India can motivate and divide as surely as major societal differences. His skills as a writer are tremendous - he invests even the most ordinary interactions with keenly observed human quirks, and almost every sentence is a joy to read for its ingeniously constructed language. This is a compellingly entertaining novel - witty, subversive, extraordinarily perceptive, deliciously wicked.' -- Manil Suri, author of THE DEATH OF VISHNU
 
'The finest comic novelists know that a small world can illuminate a culture and an age. With this funny-sad debut, Joseph does just that for surging, fractious India.' -- Boyd Tonkin, Independent

'Manu Joseph's satirical tale of an ostensibly new India still in thrall to its caste-ridden and sexist traditions is so much more than a mere comic caper.' -- Catherine Taylor, The Guardian

'Manu Joseph's first novel elegantly describes collisions with an unyielding status quo, ably counterpointing the frustrations of the powerless with the unfulfilling realities of power. With this astute comedy of manners he makes a convincing bid for his own recognition as a novelist of serious talent, the latest addition to a roster of Indian writers who are creating fine literary art from their country's fearsome contradictions.' -- Peter Carty, Independent

PRAISE for George Makana Clark

'Once the reader has gone past the first chapter - no, the first page - his chances of putting down the book are small: a story-ghost prowls the halls of this book, dragging the reader through its 12 doors, never letting go until the tale is told. It oscillates between realism, fantasy, folk tale, mythology and history...The main character...is only a quarter black...but his soul is 100% African, and a sense of his mystical connection to the land is one of the things that lends THE RAW MAN its power. He is a blood reader, an art inherited from his Xhosa grandmother...Makana Clark seems to be saying that the true essence of a man, his true story, is more than skin deep; it resides in the blood...Makana Clark has been compared to Coetzee and Conrad...His publishers claim "THE RAW MAN is a revelatory work of fiction, and one that is impossible to forget." It is.' -- Helon Habila, The Guardian

'THE RAW MAN is an extraordinary novel, and a work of rare conception, bringing together, within one individual, the painfully conflicted history of southern Africa.' -- Brian Chikwava, author of HARARE NORTH

'George Makana Clark's THE RAW MAN is a doozy of a debut, unapologetically ambitious and suffused with a rare emotional intensity…Makana Clark creates a narrative voice of hallucinatory power and endless playfulness, even in the midst of horror.' -- Booktrust

'We are taken on this journey in chapters that could stand alone as stories. These smaller tales seem to reflect a cultural heritage, passing on tradition and history through folklore imbued with symbolism and the supernatural. This folklore expands outwards, stories enclosing stories, until it is finally encapsulated in something that we could call a novel. The book therefore symbolises not only the struggle for the identity of a single man, but also of a people faced with the collision between Western colonial traditions and their own cultural heritage. [H]is story builds such a complex web with its own symbols…At any rate, this is a fantastically imaginative and enjoyable book to read.' -- Ben Carson, Think Africa Press

Peter James co-writes crime novel with 26 authors.

Twenty-six authors, including Peter James, have contributed to the new crime novel, NO REST FOR THE DEAD, published later this week by Simon & Schuster. Instigated by Andrew Gulli, editor of Strand Magazine in the US, each author has written a chapter, and together they have created a story centred on detective Jon Nunn and who is trying to solve a 10-year-old case. Other authors include, Raymond Khoury, Jeffrey Deaver, Kathy Reichs and Faye Kellerman.

Peter James says of the experience, "The hard thing was not knowing what any of the characters were like - none of us saw what the others had written...It's amazing though - it actually works," he said. "It shows most thriller writers think in a similar, Machiavellian way".

Gulli and his sister Lamia, both of whom have edited the novel, will donate all their proceeds to the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society. Please click here to read the article featured in the Guardian. 

Peter James has recently also enjoyed huge success with his latest novel DEAD MAN'S GRIP. Having sold over 40,000 hardback copies in 10 weeks, the novel has stayed in the top 10 bestseller lists since publication six weeks ago.

Praise for Peter James:

'Authenticity, coupled with the ingenuity of his plotting, drives the tale at a pace that could fuse speed cameras on the M1.' -- David Connett, The Sunday Express

'...an entirely convincing copper thanks to the author's meticulous research.' -- The Shortlist

Photo Credit: Joerg Steinmetz

Blake Friedmann titles in the Bestseller lists this coming weekend...

DEAD MAN'S GRIP by Peter James has been in the hardback bestseller list for 6 consecutive weeks since publication. He remained in the top spot for the first two weeks, and is now number 10, having sold approximately 42,000 hardcovers in 10 weeks!

Sheila O'Flanagan is also enjoying tremendous success with her latest novel, ALL FOR YOU, which is at No 1 in the Irish Bestseller lists in its first week on sale. STAND BY ME is also still in the top 10 at No 10, and has also sold more than 3,500 copies in Britain this week.

Praise for Peter James:

'By the straightforward expedient of using carefully crafted, well honed narratives with a strong sense of place and a sure grasp of character, James has slowly but surely worked his way towards an almost unassailable position as one of Britain's best-loved crime writers. DEAD MAN'S GRIP is a particularly gripping entry in the Grace series...his most signal achievement is to keep us comprehensively engaged in the increasingly over familiar field of the police procedural. Not an easy task, but one that James pulls off with aplomb.' -- Barry Forshaw

Praise for Sheila O'Flanagan:

'We love Sheila O' Flanagan's novels, and this story captivates you from the very beginning, wonderful for curling up on the sofa. Dominique entranced us from the start and her story is utterly absorbing. This is perfect weekend reading. Highly recommended!' -- Hot Brands Cool Places

THE SOMNAMBULIST is a People’s Book Prize Finalist!

THE SOMNAMBULIST by Essie Fox has been voted a People's Book Prize Finalist by its readers. To see a list of the other finalists and to leave your vote, please click here.

THE SOMNAMBULIST, which is Essie's first novel, is a dramatic Victorian mystery set in the music halls and docks of East London, and an isolated Herefordshire country house, dealing with themes of bigotry, loss and stolen lives. Phoebe Turner grows up believing that her mother is the widowed Maud, who marches with the Hallelujah Army and campaigns for all theatres and bars to be closed. They share a home with Cissy, Phoebe's beautiful unmarried aunt, who sings on the stage, who Phoebe adores, and whose past contains many secrets - not least that Phoebe is her daughter. When Cissy dies of an overdose, Phoebe's world is turned on its head as the web of deceits spun around her start to unravel. As a glamorous businessman appears at Cissy's funeral and hires Phoebe as a companion for his estranged, reclusive wife, Lydia, darker secrets emerge. A darkly compelling and sensual story.

Orion published last month in the UK and rights have also been sold to Castelvecchi in Italy and to Damm in Sweden.  

The People's Book Prize team has announced a new partnership aimed at positioning the awards for future development. Founder of the People's Book Prize Tatiana Wilson has joined forces with entrepreneur and renowned international licensing and global rights lawyer, Andrew Eborn, alongside Tony Humphreys and Kate Beal of Talent TV to form a limited company, The People's Book Prize Limited. The first step for the new team is to enhance the multimedia offering of the 2011 awards ceremony by focusing on the online presence and creating brand defining video content.

The People's Book Prize is the only democratic Book Prize voted exclusively by the public so it is the public who choose Britain's Next Bestsellers.  Its goals are to discover new talent and support reading uniting the community as a whole. The second awards ceremony takes place at the Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers on 20th July 2011.

Supported by Patron Frederick Forsyth CBE the Award consists of prizes in three genres - fiction, non-fiction and children's literature. Leading up to the ceremony titles are showcased on www.peoplesbookprize.com and the books which receive the most votes go forward as finalists with three authors emerging as winners. In addition, The Beryl Bainbridge Award for First Time Author is given in honour of TPBP founding patron.

Essie Fox is also the author of the Virtual Victorian blog and if you want more news on THE SOMNAMBULIST, see her website news page here.

PRAISE for THE SOMNAMBULIST

'Vividly compelling, dark and dazzling.' -- Katherine Webb

'THE SOMNAMBULIST has all the ingredients of a classic Victorian melodrama - religion, death, isolated country house, love affairs, betrayal, revenge, a reclusive madwoman, a tall dark stranger, dark alleys frequented by ladies of the night, music hall performers, ghostly apparitions - but Essie manages to weave them all together without ever becoming melodramatic. It is, instead, a ripping yarn that kept me entertained throughout.... I did, at one point, almost miss by tube stop, cliched as that may sound, while approaching a particular twist in the story and this is the sort of book that does weird things with time. You open it up and the next thing you know two hours have passed... If you enjoyed the recent BBC adaptation of The Crimson Petal and the White then I dare say this will be right up your cobbled street. It is darkly entertaining and sometimes quite moving. It will also prove a treat to fans of Victoriana, as will the author's Virtual Victorian blog and her new site dedicated to the book.' -- Scott Pack, meandmybigmouth (blog)

Monique Roffey’s 'brave and poignant' memoir published

WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH memoir by Orange Prize shortlisted author Monique Roffey is published by Simon & Schuster on Thursday 23 June.

In the run-up to publication it has already garnered lots of media attention, including Monique's own essay in the Guardian Weekend Magazine, and a feature in Psychologies.

Julie Myerson says the following in the Observer:
'Monique Roffey is an acclaimed fiction writer - her THE WHITE WOMAN ON THE GREEN BICYCLE was shortlisted for last year's Orange Prize. Her honest, self-exposing new memoir is about sex and about far more - it's a candid exploration of the vulnerability of middle-age, as well as a fairly brutal examination of the human heart and its endless capacity to be broken…This book is astoundingly brave. It is funny. It speeds along. It has magic at its heart - that indefinable sliver of human warmth and hope that all the best, most searching memoirs seem to have. Moreover, Roffey's somehow irrepressible willingness to share begins to seem generous, infectious even…I found myself knocked off course in a rather moving and indescribable way…she actually…makes a writerly choice to remain "blind" because "I wanted to turn the darkness in me into prose". Well, good. Because isn't that exactly what we need writers - the brightest, most adventurous and self-scrutinising ones, like…Roffey - to do: to take that same darkness and turn it into something so blazingly alive that it can shine a little light on the rest of us?' -- Julie Myerson, The Observer

Daisy Goodwin has this to say in the Sunday Times:
'WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH is a vivid, entertaining and unexpectedly moving read about a middle-aged woman's attempt to find enlightenment through sex. It is not coldly erotic like THE SEXUAL LIFE OF CATHERINE M, or unrepentantly horny like Samantha from SEX AND THE CITY. It is a good deal more rueful and emotional.'

MORE PRAISE FOR WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH

'WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH is an important book. How many books explore erotic love fully, fearlessly and intelligently? None that I've read - until now. Monique Roffey's brave and poignant quest for the nature of love - erotic and romantic - will give you glimpses of your most intimate self. Buy it, read it, and if it doesn't turn you inside out, you may consider yourself dead.' -- Kapka Kassabova, author of STREET WITHOUT A NAME

'Intelligent, dark, thorny but redemptive book about sex.' -- Robert Rowland Smith, author of BREAKFAST WITH SOCRATES

'From Craigslist to tantra classes, this is a heartbreaking and, at times, explicit memoir of rediscovery' -- Elle

'Less of Belle de Jour's lifestyle raunchiness and far more honesty about how sex feels - as opposed to how it looks…Roffey's writing soars when she's describing the intense grief she experienced at the end of the great love affair that prompted her journey …Roffey asks serious questions about what place sex has in modern relationships, and is blessed with admirable honesty.' -- Alexandra Heminsley, Independent on Sunday